A's get much-needed bullpen help and old friend in trade with Royals

The A’s were desperate for a left-handed reliever, and they appear to have finally found some help.

The club announced it has acquired left-handed reliever Ryan Buchter, designated hitter Brandon Moss, and cash considerations from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for right-handed pitchers Jesse Hahn and Heath Fillmyer.

Buchter, 30, began last season with the San Diego Padres before getting traded to the Royals in July. He combined for a 2.89 ERA in 71 appearances, and was especially tough on left-handed hitters, holding them to a .176 batting average. Buchter figures to slot in along with Daniel Coulombe as Bob Melvin’s go-to option for left-on-lefty matchups.

This wasn’t the first time the A’s were interested in Buchter. A’s general manager David Forst revealed the club had gone after him pretty hard in 2015 before he chose to sign with the Padres. Since then, Forst said Buchter has only gotten better, increasing the velocity on his fastball to 92-93.

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“We’ve kept our eye on him since then,” Forst said. “He’s always hard on lefties, so he checked the box on what we’ve been looking for this offseason.”

Having already added Yusmeiro Petit and Emilio Pagan to the back-end of the bullpen earlier in the offseason, Buchter’s addition suddenly gives Melvin an overhauled bullpen with plenty of proven veterans to choose from. It’s a renovation the A’s bullpen needed, after combining to blow 25 saves last season, second-most in the majors.

“It’s a good, deep group. Bob and (pitching coach Scott Emerson) are gonna have a lot of options. A lot of experience back there with Pagan, Petit and (Chris) Hatcher,” Forst said. “Two guys from the left side. Casilla fits in as well since he’s closed games. Hopefully we’ve built enough depth back there that the bullpen will be a strength.”

Buchter is also pleased with the way the A’s have built their bullpen, something he believes is a necessity these days in order to make a playoff run.

“The bullpen is setting up to be a strength of a the team,” Buchter said. “They’re gonna rely on their bullpen to win a lot of games and that’s the way baseball is headed now. Teams win with a strong bullpen.”

Moss, 34, was around for the A’s last playoff run in 2014. He returns to the club after having played some of his best seasons in Oakland from 2012-14. Moss hit .207 with 22 home runs and 50 RBI last season with the Royals, but with slugger Khris Davis slotted to be the every day DH next season, it’s unclear how much of a role Moss will even have with the team.

“We’ll see how it plays out over the next couple of months,” Forst said. “Everyone was disappointed when he left and I’ve already heard from a lot of people here excited for him to be back.”

Hahn began last season in the A’s starting rotation, going 3-6 with a 5.30 ERA over 14 games in a season that saw him deal with multiple injuries and struggle on the mound, eventually getting sent back down to Triple-A Nashville.

Fillmyer, a 2014 fifth round selection by the A’s, went 11-5 with a 3.49 ERA in 29 starts at Double-A Midland last season.

Left-handed relief seemed to be the last item on Forst’s to-do list for the offseason, but with the slowly developing free agent market that features big names like Alex Cobb, Yu Darvish, and Jake Arrieta still without a club, Forst won’t rule out the possibility of finding one more valuable piece for the roster.

“Until we get there and fill out the roster on the 29th you never know what opportunities are out there. We’ll keep our ears open,” Forst said. “I’m not gonna close our doors to any opportunities that may pop up. We’ll sit back and see how things play out.”